Back in the Saddle Again

While I was cleared to bike again as soon as I got off crutches but it took me another 4 to 5 months to actually feel like biking. 

In reality, it took one of my bikes to be stolen to help me realize what I lost when I got hurt and come to peace with it.  The loss in mobility and inability to help at home with my 3 kids really hurt but I have to admit it was what the bike represented that hurt even more. 

What I lost was those brief feelings of freedom. 

As an adult with kids and a wife and a job and a mortgage and aging parents and friends and bills and everything else, I (and everyone else on the planet) are as caged as as any animal.  We are caged by our responsibilities.  Now while I am not going to rant about those responsibilities because I love my life and have way too much to be thankful for to actually complain with any sincerity, the ability to feel free is as rare as me staying up until 2 in the morning. 

But a simple bike ride to work or a 2 hour spin around the river gives me a brief feeling that maybe I am 15 again with nothing to worry about but where to go on Friday night.  And somehow in its most primal way my heart, head, and body know it won't last forever but something is better than nothing.  And I forget just for a little while; and I feel normal - something I don't feel while walking.

It kind of reminds of me of Buzz Lightyear.  I know I'm getting older - which means my flying days are over - but that doesn't keep me from "falling with style" every now and again. 

Lets just hope the falling is of the figurative and not the literal kind from here on out.

Thanks for reading...

Becoming Bulletproof

For the past few months, once I got through the bulk of my primary rehabilitation (to be discussed in an upcoming post), I have been focused on 3 main things:

• Biking (again)
• Kettlebells for Strength
• Becoming Bulletproof

While it sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, Becoming Bulletproof is actually an a approach to resetting our bodies from injury, aging, and wear and tear.  Trainer Tim Anderson outlines a number of simple movements that aim to bring the body back to its simplest functions. 

The movements are not complicated nor require a ton of skill; in fact, they are movements in which we will all be familiar.  They take us back to our earliest movements as an infant and toddler and reset our broken bodies to long before we used and abused them.  While it sounds a bit like the fountain of youth - it's not.  It is just simple neuroscience - proper movement can reshape our bodies back to its earliest memory. 

I personally swear by these movements and do them 3 times daily, along with a more extended sessions on the days in which I do kettlebells.  I encourage you give them a try.  And while I can't guarantee you will live forever or even catch bullets in your teeth, you will feel healthier and regain some of the movement of your youth.

The book also comes with a less expensive workbook called Pressing Reset.  Personally I only own the workbook as it gives me everything I need, and then some.

Good Luck!

Thanks for Reading..

Walk Which Way?

Here is an interesting movement exercise for those that may have ended up a little bow legged as a result of physical anatomy, hip surgery, knee surgery, arthritis, or other accident.

Over at Aging Belle, they provide 8 steps to reduce or eliminate bow legs.  It also provides a link to a video of a rather entertaining Japanese talk show where the exercise is demonstrated.

In short, it recommends two things:

1. Practice walking backwards
2. Get in a habit of not crossing your legs while sitting

While I am not entirely certain what physically happens to cure bow legs when walking backwards but walking backwards has been known to have benefits. Feldenkrais (a somatic educational system I will explore further in detail in a future post) encourages backward walking as a way to to morph the body into new shapes and forms.  A Dutch study also states that backward walking promotes clearer thinking.  The Online Games Blog says the same.  It also states there are knee injury recovery benefits.

I have been trying it a few times a day for the past week and it seems to be helping me.  I am only a little bow legged on one leg so perhaps I am not the best test case but it certainly can't hurt.  Maybe I'll at least think clearer...

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading....

Be Strong

Recovery takes an incredible amount of strength:

• Mental
• Physical
• Emotional

It all weighs on us and challenges us.  Whether its cancer, a knee replacement, or a stroke, our bodies take a physical toll, which taxes our hearts and minds. 

I believe one of the best ways to wage this battle is actually BE STRONG. 

What I mean is to become physically strong through strength training.  If you are about go under the knife, are in recovery, or are years past and have never been the same, strength training will make you feel strong. 

A strong body gives you more confidence about how you look and how you move. 

A strong body can cover up perceived weakness.

A strong body can protect from future trauma.  Strength training guru Dan John calls it armor building.  And for those of us who are bruised and battered already, a little extra armor will do us good.

Personally, I have been using kettlebells for a number of years and greatly enjoy their versatility and functional use.  I am a big proponent of Geoff Neupert's workouts.  But that's just me.  You can get strong with body weight workouts, kettlebells, sandbags, barbells, dumbbells, tractor tires.  You name it.  Just pick one and stick with it.  The benefits are enormous.

So no matter your age, experience, or ability, find yourself a good trainer and tell them you want to BE STRONG. 

And don't use age as excuse, you can get stronger at any point in your life.  Check out Chad Howse's post on strength building and age.

In the end, our strength has been challenged in recovery and we may or may not have persevered.  But now, with strength training, the weights don't lie and you get what you give.  They will give you strength.  Strength to persevere.

See this guy: 60 years old and still rocking...he just never stopped.

Go and BE STRONG. 

Thanks for reading.

Pilot Post

This blog will include several major points of discussion, namely:

• Strength Training: how we can use strength training to rebuild our bodies after injury or major surgery to promote recovery, lose weight, and become more functional in our daily lives
• Diet: the impact the food we eat plays on our lifestyle and recovery from the break of a major bone, hip or knee replacement, or any other traumatic event such as a stroke or cancer
• Movement Patterns: how we reset our walking, bending, pushing, and pulling patterns after our bodies have been thrown out of alignment or adversely adjusted because of an unforeseen event or misuse over time
• Mental and Emotional Well Being: the impact of a major injury or illness on our minds and emotions.  We will also tackle stress and what it does to our bodies and those around us
• Bodywork: the roles massage and chiropractic work, among others, play in healing and renewing the body

For now, I think that will give us hundreds of topics and ways to explore the central theme: PAIN.  It is pain that has been caused and pain manifests itself in many ways.  Hopefully through collective exploration we can all recover a little bit to lead happier, healthier pain-free lives.

At its core, it will be cathartic way for me to express the impact of the injury on my life and relieve some of my own pain.  And, as they say, if I can help just one person, it will all be worth it.

Thanks for reading...